Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, is under medical supervision and doctors are concerned for her health, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Senior members of the royal family were on Thursday travelling to be with her at Balmoral, the Queen’s castle in the Scottish highlands, while at Westminster the mood among senior politicians was sombre.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” Buckingham Palace said. “The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”
The Queen, aged 96, celebrated the 70th anniversary of her reign this year; she has represented continuity and stability for Britain from the postwar era into the 21st century.
Earlier this week the Queen, who has suffered from “mobility issues” for some time, oversaw the transition of power from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss from Balmoral instead of travelling to London.
“The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime,” Truss, the UK’s new prime minister, said on Twitter.
“My thoughts — and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom — are with Her Majesty the Queen and her family at this time.”
The news of the monarch’s condition was relayed to Truss in the House of Commons, as she made a statement to parliament on a state intervention in the energy market.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, interrupted the debate on the government’s energy price plans with news of the Queen’s condition.
“I know that I speak on behalf of the entire house when I say that we send our best wishes to Her Majesty the Queen and that she and the royal family are in our thoughts and prayers at this time,” he said.
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, said on Twitter: “May God’s presence strengthen and comfort Her Majesty, her family, and those who are caring for her at Balmoral.”
The Queen has been a central part of life in the UK for more than six decades, since the death of her father George VI in 1952.
She took the throne when Winston Churchill was in Downing Street, and this week invited Truss to form a new government, the 15th prime minister of her reign.
Her 70-year reign has encompassed the decolonisation of much of the British empire in Africa and Asia, and the consolidation in its wake of the Commonwealth. It also saw the emergence of the modern monarchy, open to intense media scrutiny.
The Queen’s personal popularity is seen as a key factor in maintaining support for the monarchy in the UK in recent years. She has shied away from political interventions and is known chiefly to her subjects by her presence at public events and her televised Christmas messages, which often emphasised the values of duty and dialogue.
She became the longest-serving monarch in British history in 2015, surpassing her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
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